Move quickly on Bok coach: Matfield

Legendary lock Victor Matfield says it is important for the SA Rugby Union (Saru) to fill the Springbok coaching position as soon as possible.

Confusion reigned straight after their World Cup quarterfinal loss to Australia on Sunday on whether incumbent head coach Peter de Villiers would still be in charge of the Springboks.

De Villiers, however, made it clear on Monday that he had not resigned as earlier reported, and was vague on his availability for the job once his contract expired at the end of the year.

“I don’t know if Peter is available, but I think he should probably get over the emotions first,” said Matfield, who retired as one of the highest capped Springboks of all time.

“I don’t know who is available, but I know someone like Heyneke [Meyer, Blue Bulls rugby head] will not apply because of his new role at the Bulls and I don’t know if Rassie [Erasmus] will be interested.”

Matfield said Western Province coach Allister Coetzee — who was assistant coach to former national coach Jake White when they won the 2007 World Cup in France — might also be knocking on the door for the position.

“Toetie [Coetzee] was a great coach when I was playing under him. He is also a wonderful person and probably a strong candidate,” Matfield said.

“Maybe guys from overseas like [former Springbok coach] Nick Mallett will also be interested.”

Pundits have already started speculating about De Villiers’ possible replacement, with New Zealand-born coaches plying their trade in South Africa also receiving mentions.

Sharks’ coach John Plumtree and Lions’ mentor John Mitchell, who both hail from Hawera in Taranaki, New Zealand, were considered contenders for the job.

Matfield, however, felt that South Africa was not ready for a foreign coach and it would be a grave mistake if Saru went that route.

The 34-year-old said the remaining Springbok players had not yet received their contracts for next year, which he said caused a lot of uncertainty among the players.

“If SA Rugby can sort that out as soon as possible it would be great,” he said.

“During the previous World Cup, we worried even before the start of the tournament, and there were about 10 guys who signed contracts for the new year.

“The funny thing is that no one even talked about it this year. I spoke to guys like Jean (De Villiers) and Schalk (Burger) and they said they had not signed anything yet.”